Android apps to go on sale through Amazon.com

Mike Luttrell, 8th October 2010

In an attempt to strike up more interest in the Android platform not just for consumers but for developers as well, Amazon has announced it will begin selling Android apps from its trusted and well-known online storefront.
Ironically, even though Google earned its colossal company status because of its search engine prowess, searching on the Android Market store proves to usually be a tedious ordeal - not because it turns up bad results but because the interface of the app store itself is clunky.

Amazon will take a 30% cut of all sales, according to the Wall Street Journal. Developers keep all the rest of the proceeds, so long as they agree that they won't offer the same apps anywhere else at a lower price.

Microsoft tried something similar with its Xbox Live downloadable titles but decided to pull it when sales went below expectations. Downloadable PlayStation games have also been up for sale at Amazon as well.t

The Android Market has 80,000 apps in its arsenal, compared to the leading Apple App Store, which has 250,000 apps.

Amazon and Google hope this will make Android developing more enticing for developers. They have largely avoided Android, or put them on the back burner, because of a low interest level among users.

By providing a more organized, centralized place for people to buy apps, it should boost sales and give a higher profile to all Android apps.